The Pounding Abyss

A late week update from the sunshine halls of 20JFG this week as we prepare for our trek to the beast to the north (see the bottom of this post)…

A strange thread indeed runs between Vienna, Bergan and Detroit. Operating underground, traversing the not inconsiderable distances with a casual air, unencumbered by border controls and Visas. The throbbing heart of old Detroit dragged eastwards, the Viennese beat sucked northwards, drawn in by the city of Bergen resonating under a blue-hued gradient of a sky.

In what one can only imagine is a delightfully tasteful lair, Skatebård sits, his feet placed thoughtfully on a desk in the centre of an enormous geodesic dome. From the west the stream from Detroit enters, from the east, the stream from Vienna. The streams circle each other like some musical LHC. Notes dancing like high-energy particles around the giant dome. Rushing round the periphery, gaining in strength with each passing bar waiting, pensive, for the moment of fusion. And what delights emerged from the house of Skatebård.

Wolfram‘s Hall of Shame emerges from under the incongruous obi strip that adorns the artwork above, replete with a minimal remix from our aforementioned Norwegian producer. Skatebård strips things back to reveal the portal straight into the glistening techno world of Lord Craig. Urgent claps pause only for the additional layers of percussion to gently wrestle your ears to the floor. Yet, when you’ve prepared yourself for a Cajmere lesson in minimalism a mournful synth, recently escaped from Vangelis’s early 80s storeroom, materialises above to give you pause before hurtling back into the beautiful pounding abyss.

Innergaze drag us slightly further back into the glorious cradle of dance music. Their music, crushed and static, obscured by sound. EBM, coldwave, early techno fight it out for dominance of the drum machine. Casually brutal vocals force their way through from the Death Factory. As if Chris & Cosey’s dalliances with the Eurythmics had conjured a restless pioneering demon to duet with Annie Lenox but had instead ended up consuming her. Celestial synths coexisting with the industrial landscape bellow.

Innergaze’s We Are Strange Loops (from whence this came) is the second release on the already excellent Touch Your Life Records. Featuring Jason of Rhythm Based Lovers (more on them soon), Aurora who did this classic video and mastered by Veronica, she of Minimal Wave Records ownership (and fame) this is full of positive 20JFG karma. You really couldn’t possibly go wrong.

It’s out now from many places. If you live in the states get it direct from the band here.

20JFG will be journeying to The Big Chill House on Saturday to join up with our brothers at Allez-Allez to form the chimera that is Your Turn to Run. On our journey to the north we’ll be joined by none other than Well Rounded boss Donga. If you enjoyed his podcast for us a few weeks back then get down there early as we’ll be covering the first three hours between us (plus it’s free before 10pm).